Father and Son
by SaphiraJane
Summary: The legend of Rocky Balboa in the point of view of Robert Balboa. It was an assignment for Creative Writing class. For now only a oneshot, but I'm kinda planning on more.


_**Father and Son**_

_**- The Rocky Balboa legend in Robert's eyes -**_

**Title**: Father and Son  
**Writer**: Clashingway **  
Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters, locations, or anything else connected to Rocky Balboa.

**Summary** /// **A/N**: This doesn't really include anything new. I just tried to re-tell the whole story (or at least parts of it) in the point of view of Robert... it was part of one of my assignments for my Creative Writing class... but anyways... I hope anybody likes it at least a little bit... For now, it's a oneshot - but I'm thinking about just taking it as a kind of lead for a whole story.

**Acknowledgment: **I dedicate this story to my friend Manuela. I haven't known her for that long yet, but she's always been there for me and helped me, though. - - - DSC 4 life! ;-)

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_**Father and Son**_

_**- The Rocky Balboa legend in Robert's eyes -**_

I really love my Dad and I admire him. He always gets me everything a boy could wish for, because he says we can .

One day, my Dad gets asked to fight against a Russian guy (my Dad is a boxer) and he takes off for half a year. He went to the Soviet Union to exercise and to finally go for the boxing match he got challenged for. I am really proud of him and I watch the match on TV - but I have to do it secretly, because my Mom actually doesn't want me to watch my Dad beating up another guy. But I knew that he was going to win, so I didn't have to worry about that.

My family's financial adviser had now, a few years later (I am seven years old now) made a big mistake and we lost everything, which means we have to start all over again. My Dad works more because of that and coaches a young guy, who wants to become a great boxer - just one like my Dad is. I really love my Dad but I think he should spend some more time with me because he spends a lot more time with that other boy. I feel a little jealous and neglected... maybe my Dad likes that other boy more than he likes me. I started feeling even more neglected when my Dad started to buy the new boxer expensive gifts, although we don't really have much money anymore... and I feel like he just ignored me; it is like the new guy replaced me in my Dads heart and brain.

Even when the boxer changes to another trainer because he thinks he can make more money there, my Dad still tries to support him because he thinks he has potential and he wants him to be successful. But what about me? My Dad cares even less about me and I feel like we aren't even a family anymore.

"You know, living with you hasn't been easy .. people see me, but they think of YOU .. now with all this going on this will be worse than ever..."

I'm grown up now and am trying to live my own life, but I'm always standing in Rocky's shadow, though, because my last name is Balboa, which makes it really hard for me. My Mom, whom I really loved a lot, died a few years ago and my Dad now owns a restaurant, _Adrian's_, which he named after my Mom. Fortunately, he doesn't box anymore because hes too old. Even though we aren't close anymore at all, he seems to be missing me because I think hes trying to pour oil on troubled water and to spend more time with me again; but I'm not sure what to think about that.

One day, Rocky suddenly shows up at the place I work. All the other employees and my boss don't have their eyes on anything else but him anymore and once again I'm standing in his shadow. The shadow his career and our name puts on me.

Another day, some friends of mine and I are sitting in a pub and theres an animated boxing match on TV. Some weird people came up with the idea of wanting to see what would happen if my Dad would be challenged again - The New Champion versus The Old Champion (which is my Dad). The statistic says my Dad would win and all of my friends start cheering and saying how great that would be, but I don't have any positive thoughts about the whole thing at all.

All of sudden, my Dad tells me he even wants to take the challenge - at the age of over fifty. I cant understand why he wants to do that!

"Its all about my last name .. thats the reason I got a decent job, thats the reason why people deal with me in the first place .. now I start to get a little ahead - I start to get a little something for myself and this happens .. now I'm asking you as a favor not to go through with this ... this is only going to end up bad for you and its gonna end up bad for me."

"So I'm hurting you?"

"Yeah, that's always the way you are."

"That's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

"I know thats not what you wanted to do, but thats just the way it is... Don't you care what people think? Doesn't it bother you that people are making a joke out of you and that I'm gonna be included in it? Do you think thats right? Do you?"

"You ain't gonna believe this. You used to fit right here," (he shows Robert his hand) "I held you up and said to your mother This kid is gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid is gonna be someone better than anybody knew and you grew up good and wonderful - it was great just watching. Everyday was like a privilege and then the time came for you to be your own man... to take on the world - and you did. But somewhere along the line you changed; you stopped being you. You let people step a finger in your face - telling that you're not good and when things got hard you started looking for something to blame; like a big shadow. But I don't tell you something that you don't already know. The world ain't not all sunshine and rainbows. Its a very mean and nasty place and I care how tough you are - it will beat you to your knees and beat you up permanently if you let it. You and me, we are nobody. Its gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit - its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. Thats how its done. Now, if you know what you're worth, just get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointing fingers. You ain't what you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that. I will always love you, no matter what, no matter what happens - you're my son. You're my blood. You're the best thing in my life, but until you start believing in yourself, you ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your Mom."

Now, that we had a conversation about that whole stuff, I decided to support my Dad, though. After all, hes my Dad. Hes family. But it still worries me to see that the other boxer is over forty years younger than he is. I'm really trying to support my Dad as much as I can - I'm there when he exercises and I'm standing in the corner when hes in a challenge.

And even if my Dad now lost the challenge, he won. We really won. Because this fixed our relationship - we walk out of the stadium, arm in arm. As father and son.


End file.
